A South African man who had attempted a lone climb of Mount Everest was found hiding in a cave by mountaineering authorities. He is now being taken to Kathmandu where he will have to face penalties for climbing without a permit, including paying a fine of US$22,000.

Cinematographer Ryan Sean Davy, 43, made it 7,300 metres up the mountain before he was caught, he wrote in a Facebook post. He was made to return to base camp where his passport was confiscated and was told to report to Nepal’s Department of Tourism in Kathmandu to retrieve it.

Davy explained that he purposely avoided obtaining the permit, not only because he couldn’t afford it, but also due to his lack of recorded mountaineering experience. “It would have been a total embarrassment to turn around and accept defeat because of a piece of paper,” he wrote.

The government charges a US$11,000 fee for a permit to climb Mount Everest. The charge does not include other miscellaneous costs for equipment, hiring a guide, camp costs and so on.

Facebook: Sourced from Davy’s profile

Davy, instead, used whatever money he had to buy more gear and prepare for a “a stealth entry into Everest.”

Dinesh Bhattariya, the department’s director general, told The Himalayan Times that Davy had received a trekkers information management system card on March 19. “But TIMS is not for climbing mountains,” he said, explaining that card-holders were not permitted above the base camp.

Only four South Africans have been registered with a climbing permit, Bhattariya added.

Yet, on May 6, Davy made his first ascent up Mount Everest and in six hour had reached 7,000 metres, according to a Facebook post written later the same day. He returned to a camp to acclimatize, intending to reach 7,500 metres in his next climb. The Himalayan Times reported that Davy had spent two weeks acclimatizing at camp before he was caught by officials.

Facebook: Sourced from Davy’s profile

The penalties for breaking mountaineering rules set out by the Nepal Tourism Act are severe. Offenders are charged fines double or triple the climbing permit fee. They can also be banned, either from mountaineering in Nepal for 10 years or from entering the country for five.

In his post, Davy described how he was “treated like a murderer” once he was returned to base camp. “I was harassed at base camp to a point that I honestly thought I was going to get stoned to death right there. I’m not even exaggerating.”

Despite Davy’s insistence against receiving help, friends and family have already opened a crowdfund named “Bring Ryan Home” to raise the funds necessary to pay off the fine. His sister Bonita-Lee Davy said that the family did not know that Ryan did not have the permit but will continue to “support Ryan no matter what”.

Facebook: Sourced from Davy’s profile

“I do know my brother and he had no intention to hurt anyone, he just wanted to climb a God given mountain,” she wrote on Facebook. She said that she last spoke with him on Monday. “He was emotional,” she said.

Davy is en-route to Kathmandu, a journey that has been slowed because he “fell ill on his way down,” wrote Michele Whitehead, a friend of Davy’s, on Facebook. Gyawali, who’s waiting to receive Davy in Kathmandu said that he should arrive within three days.

“We … are holding up but we’re not sure what to expect,” said Bonita-Lee, adding that the family will decide what to do once they have heard from the authorities.